Content area
Full Text
THE ONCE-BUZZING SAWMILL INDUStry in Arkansas is currently operating at its slowest clip in more than half a century.
That's according to several leaders in the business who say sawmills are closing down or cutting back production at a rate like never before, with no end in sight until late 2008.
John Ed Anthony, chairman of Anthony Timberlands Inc. of Bearden, says not many people realize the dire situation many operations are facing.
"The lumber industry, wood products industry, lumber and plywood industries - they're all at absolutely catastrophic levels," Anthony said. "I've been around for 50 years, and not once has it ever been as dire as it is right now. I can't stress enough how volatile it is right now."
The number of sawmills in Arkansas has been steadily declining for the past quarter-century, but before now, that was simply a reflection of modernization and consolidation and didn't indicate a struggling market.
In 1983 there were more than 1,200 sawmills - 677 primary and 541 secondary - in operation in Arkansas. At last count in 2006, according to the Arkansas Forestry Commission, there were just 420 total sawmills buzzing in the state, dramatically down from the 1993 total of 536.
But Production Up
But just looking at the tape doesn't reveal the tale. Despite the steady decrease in numbers of wood-processing plants, actual production increased, and Arkansas rose to become the third-largest timber harvester in the country.
"Though we have fewer sawmills now, we process more wood currently than we have in previous years," said Rebecca Montgomery, a field audit supervisor for the Arkansas Forestry Commission. "The number of large mills has increased over the years, and mill capacity has increased over the years due to advances in technology. So, though mill numbers have declined over the years, we really have gained production through technological advances."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Arkansas ranked...